Welcome to the Swirl, Sniff, Sip, Spit Winery Resource! This community resource is the result of recommendations made by a variety of wine aficionados. It is intended to provide people in search of good wine tasting experiences with recommendations on various wineries and tasting rooms around the world. Entries are made by going to the Entry Page. The results shown can be sorted in various ways by using the “sort by” links below. You can also search by key words using the filter to select the entries of interest to you. We welcome your entries and your feedback. Of course, the opinions expressed are those of the people making the recommendations. Enjoy!

Beautiful subterranean storage caves. Powerful Central California reds. About a mile east of US 101. We stopped by on the way from SoCal to NorCal. Pleasant reception in their tasting room. Within the man-made caves, they have carved out a banquet room for special occasions. It's an anti-L.A. experience!

The winery is dog friendly, with a picnic area and gardens. They practice sustainable farming and are located on a beautiful piece of property. Napa Valley is just gorgeous and easily accessible from San Francisco. The staff here was very friendly and took the time to introduce us to their wines. It was fun to sample the wines and then be able to sit outside in the picnic area and enjoy a picnic on a beautiful summer day.

Rich, during our recent trip to Paris we took a tour of castles in the Loire Valley. We chanced on a family run winery which has been in the Plou family since 1508. Their tasting center is still manned by family members. A young lady (about 19) was our host and in tasting red wines, I asked her the differnce between Cuvee Prestige and the Cuvee Les Menigottes; her scientific answer was in very broken english that it was "stronger". Very charming and very warm environment with a reasonable price for the Touraine wine growing area. The two wines I mentioned were 6 & 7 Euros, yet very drinkable. I will share when next you visit.

[Ed. Note: Bribing me with wine doesn‘t guarantee you a win, but it doesn‘t hurt either.]

We went to this winery recently and instantly I felt like I was transformed into one of the wineries in Rhone Valley. Beautiful grounds and beautiful vineyards with a unique rustic touch...The winery is located in a mountainous area right in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Small hills and rock filled vineyards form the terroir of these concentrated wines all named after the wine maker‘s dogs that seem to have free range of the place.
By the way there is an excellent bistro in the winery that
can‘t be missed. We had a mixed cheese plate and some
great wines to pair with for little cost. This place is hard to find and probably off the beaten path but well worth the
find. Great wines...Great food...Great scenery...

Mosby was one winery we wanted to visit during our Santa Barbara wine tasting trips. The winery has a nice, quaint tasting room with a very friendly "down home" feel. The tasting room features shirts, gourmet items, and of course, wine. I was intrigued with the Mosby cross/crest (which added a personal note) and the various wooden boards on the walls with all kinds of witty sayings and philosophizing on the nature of wine. Our host, a fellow originally from Kentucky, touted the virtues of Mosby's wines. He told humorous stories while he served us around 6 pours. Of these, I enjoyed the 2007 Mosby Cortese (grown in California from imported Italian grapes), and the 2005 Mosby Ossessione (imported from Italy). Both were deep, rich, and very tasty. I purchased a bottle of each, as well as a bottle of the 2006 Mosby Sangiovese without trying it based upon the recommendation of our host (you see…I love Sangiovese). Not to be missed was Mosby's "Sophia," a raspberry dessert wine. This was delicious. We bought two bottles—one for drinking later with dessert and one to be used as a dessert (I am thinking poured over vanilla bean ice cream). Finally, if you go there, you have to at least visit (or use) the restroom. It's literally a HUGE, old oak barrel with restroom inside. Not to be missed. All of this lends itself to a fun, relaxing, and very enjoyable winery visit.

This winery is one of the best in New England. A beautiful
tasting room with a large stone fireplace and large windows looking out into manicured vineyards and a picture perfect postcard of quaint barns and old stone walls.
Then there is the wine! Delicious brooding reds and delicate whites. Don‘t be surprised if John Edwards joins you with a taste in between his wine making duties or better yet invite you to a barrel tasting.
All and all this is a fabulous little winery that will enchant you and most likely "WOW"
you! It‘s a must visit if your staying a couple days at one of the nearby casinos.
By the way I have no personal
affiliation to this winery…I just think it‘s a well kept secret
with locals and visitors that love this place…like myself.

Paolo Bea is a small, family run organic winery in Umbria. Giampiero, one of the sons, gives a lovely tour—as long as you'd like. Only want to taste? No problem, into the tasting room we go. Want to feel the earth between your toes where the vines grow? Let's walk out back. They'll tell you all about their wines and how it's made without technology, over 2 wonderful hours of tasting. All grapes and olives are harvested by hand and their creative labels are individually numbered. The sagrantino grape is deep in color and the wine bursts with flavor in your mouth.
We communicated directly with Giampiero by email and 6 of us visited in June 2006, during the World Cup. I asked him what he would drink to celebrate, if Italy won (which they did), and he proceeded to let us taste a wine, poured by his mother, that had been fermenting for years, which they weren't selling at the time. Very personal.

This winery is a complete experience. From their website, to their handcrafted fine cheeses, to their exquisite wines the whole experience leaves you wanting more. I have been looking in the Seattle area for a Tannat wine, as they are very hard to fine. Only today did I bring my prize home; the only disappointment, it is not from Narbona. I have yet to see a winery equal to Narbona. I challenge you to head south to Uruguay and taste for yourself.

Winery is atop the ridge in the Santa Cruz mountains with vistas to the bay and San Francisco (30 miles north). Wonderful wines esp. the 2006 Gewurztraminer but also the Fiddletown Barbera 2004 and a host of others. They have an un-oaked chardonnay 2006 which was light and tasty. Their sparkling wine is OK but too dry for my uneducated taste buds.
Our daughter will be married there in May as the setting is so beautiful. Landscaped gardens, nice tasting room, small lake (I think the swans flew the coop).

DeLille just happens to make some of the finest wine in all of the Pacific Northwest. However, it is the charm and cozy elegance of their tasting room that makes this winery a must-visit. From the oversized fireplace to the welcoming sound of the piano, there's nowhere else I'd rather be on a gray Seattle afternoon than tasting at DeLille. If possible, visit during the Christmas season to see the tasting room festively decorated.